Palestinians Forced To Scrap Diplomatic Event

A meeting in Ramallah between Palestinian leaders and ministers representing states of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) scheduled for Sunday, was cancelled, as Israel denied entry to some of the foreign diplomats that were set to participate.

The meeting, which included an opening ceremony and speech from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, and a tour near the settlement of Beit El, was scheduled to take place on Sunday afternoon and through the evening.

The foreign diplomats had planned to arrive from Amman by crossing the Allenby Bridge, with some arriving by helicopter.

The twelve ministers that were supposed to participate in the meeting included Egypt’s new Foreign Minister Mohammed Amr, who also set to take part in a press party along with PA foreign Minsiter Riyad al-Malki. Apparently, as four of the foreign dignitaries were denied entry, the remaining eight, including foreign ministers from South Africa and Colombia, decided to cancel the meeting.